9 replies to this topic

[guy_incognito]

These were seen today in Louisville.

1. Can anyone ID this empid? I am not as familiar with the eastern empids.



2. Two pics of the same thrush.

[psweet]

Yellow-bellied, I think. There appears to be some yellow in the throat and there is very little contrast between the throat and the cheek. The thrush looks like a Swainson's.

[TheBillyPilgrim]

No comment on the Empid without the primary projection, but agree that your thrush looks like a Swainson's

[guy_incognito]

My ID in the field was Swainson's, but for some reason those really well-defined breast spots looked odd to me.


My hope on the empid was a Yellow-bellied. This would be a lifer (as would a lot of eastern empids), so I'd like to get a second on the ID. Unfortunately it was in very poor light; that picture is ISO1600 at 1/13 sec!

[MarkBird]

Maybe it's the head angle on the thrush pictures, but my first thought was Grey-cheeked. The eyering just didn't jump out like a Swainson's.

[Parula]

i would say grey cheeked the line is not really right for swainsons

[guy_incognito]

Anyone else have input on the empid? The yellow does seem to extend up into the neck, so I am hopeful for Yellow-bellied.

Looks like we have a split decision on the thrush at this point.

[TheBillyPilgrim]

Since I didn't give a reason on the thrush:

I don't think this bird has enough breast spotting for a Gray-Cheeked and the second shot shows that buffy orange/red cast that Swainson's get on their throat and cheek. Definitely not 100% on this bird, but I figured I should share the field marks I saw.

[JimBob]

The empid doesn't really look like a Yellow-bellied to me. . . but I'm not the best with them.

[guy_incognito]

Yeah, the empid is a tough picture. Kinda looks like there is yellow extending into the neck, which would make it a Yellow-bellied, but with such bad lighting, it is hard to be sure. Thankfully I have seen some definite Yellow-bellieds now in Chicago, so lifer status no longer depends on this marginal photo.